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Families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman speak out 25 years after they were murdered: 'Seems like yesterday'

The gruesome double homicide inspired a slew of books, non-stop news coverage, an Emmy Award-winning miniseries as well as an Academy Award-winning documentary -- ultimately changing the way America viewed its justice system.

Two brutal murders shook America's consciousness twenty-five years ago on this day.

O.J. Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, 35, and her friend Ron Goldman, 25, a part-time model and waiter, were found stabbed to death on June 12, 1994, in the courtyard of her Brentwood condo, People reports.

The gruesome double homicide inspired a slew of books, non-stop news coverage, an Emmy Award-winning miniseries as well as an Academy Award-winning documentary -- ultimately changing the way America viewed its justice system.

But the fundamental element of the fiasco was lost in the noise -- two innocent people were viciously slaughtered.

O.J. Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, 35, and her friend Ron Goldman, 25, a part-time model and waiter, were found stabbed to death on June 12, 1994, in the courtyard of her Brentwood condo. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Speaking to People in 2016, Marcia Clark, the lead prosecutor in the OJ Simpson’s trial, said: “Two innocent people were murdered and no one cared. Everybody forgot.”

Despite his acquittal in October 1995, Simpson was largely deemed responsible for the deaths in a 1997 civil case brought forth by the victims' families.

The former running back was convicted in 2008 for his role in the armed robbery and kidnapping of two sports memorabilia dealers in Las Vegas. He was eventually released from jail in 2017 after serving 9 years.

That said, the victims' families have still not been able to shake off their pain with the passage of time.

In a conversation with People, Nicole's sister Tanya Brown said "it seems like yesterday."

The grave of Nicole Brown Simpson, late wife of O.J. Simpson, who was buried in 1994, is seen here February 1, 2000, at Ascension Cemetary in Lake Forest, California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

All she wants is to make sure her late sister is remembered as the "good mother, daughter, and sister she was."

“Everybody equates Nicole with being a domestic violence victim, which she was, beyond belief,” she told the outlet. “Her death doesn’t define who she was. I hope that people get the fact that Nicole and Ron were human beings who walked this earth. They were good people.”

“Nicole was a mom, first and foremost," Tanya added. "Her kids were her life. She always wanted to make sure they were having fun and being kids.”

Now, her children Sydney and Justin are in their 20s and living quiet lives away from the spotlight.

“They’re established young adults and they know what they want,” she says. “I’m very proud of what and who they have become.”

Ron Goldman's father Fred told People in 2016 his son died a hero. According to him, Ron had gone to Nicole's residence on June 12, 1994, only to return the prescription sunglasses her mother had allegedly left at the restaurant where he worked just hours earlier.

Ron Goldman's father said his son had gone to Nicole's residence on June 12, 1994, only to return the prescription sunglasses her mother had allegedly left at the restaurant where he worked just hours before the tragic incident. (Wikipedia)

The father remembered his son as one who always helped people, and this “was one of those acts of decency and kindness that ultimately cost him his life."

Fred gauged all the evidence he heard during the case, and concluded his son had “walked into the crime in process.”

“He could have run. He didn’t. I’d like to say I wish he did but that wouldn’t have been Ron. I think he attempted to help — and it cost him his life,” the embattled father said.

“I am so proud of him that in his last moments he did something heroic,” Kimberly Goldman, his sister, told People in 2016. “All the way through his life I had enormous pride for Ron and for the young man he was becoming and all the good things he did for people.”

If you have a news scoop or an interesting story for us, please reach out at (323) 421-7514

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MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. We are one of the world’s fastest growing
media-tech companies with hubs around the world. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of
reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader.